Railway train timer



(No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 1.

G. W. HOUSEL.

RAILWAY TRAIN TIMER. No. 375,160. Patented Dec. 20, 1887.

H '1? 5 I I WITNESSES: b *IIIVBNT'OF:

W' Y BY M ATTORNEYS;

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

G. W. HOUSELE.

RAILWAY TRAIN TIMER. 7

No. 375,160. Patented Dec. 20,- 1887.

WITNESSES I I INVENTOR M Q 15% %;m@ E B m g? E ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE HOUSEL, OF BLOOMSBURY, NEY'V JERSEY.

RAILWAY-TRAIN TIMER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 375,160, dated December 20, 1887.

Application filed October 26, 1886. Serial No. M7229.

To all whom it may concern.-

-Be it known that I, GEORGE W. HOUSEL, of Bloomsbury, in the county of Hunterdon and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and Improved Train-Timer, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the annexed drawings, forming a part thereof, in which- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my improved train-timer. Fig. 2 is a rear'elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section taken on line 00 5c in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a plan View, and Figs. 5, 6, and 7 are detail views, of parts of the circuit-breaking devices.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

My invention is designed to indicate to engineers or train-men running trains over asection of road the time when thelast train passed the indicator, as well as the time of day, so that the engineer'may know by a glance at the instrument the exact interval of time between his train and the one preceding him.

My invention consists in a clock-movement providedwith aseries of concentric arbors for carrying two'pairs of hands, one pair being operated by the time-movement in the usual way, the other pair being arranged to be moved at intervals byasuitablespring-motor, its movement being controlled by a galvanic battery, a circuit-closer connected with the railroadtrack, a circuit maker and breaker connected with the clock-movement, and a magnet placed in the battery-circuit and arranged to be operated by the circuit-breaker connected with the track and by the circuit maker and breaker connected with the clock-movement, the circuits, the magnet, and the circuit making and of the timemovement.

No model.)

C, and the usual train of gearing terminating with the'scape-wheel D and driving the tubular minute-hand arbor E. The said minutehand arbor communicates motion to the hourhand sleeve F through the pinion a, secured to the minute-hand arbor, the wheel '12, turning on the stud c, the pinion d, carried by the wheel I), and the spur-Wheel e, secured to the hour-hand sleeve F.

In the tubular arbor E is placed a tubular arbor, G, which contains the arbor H. The arbors G H project beyond the front and rear In the opposite side of the clock-frame is arranged a train of motor-gearing, I, driven by the spring-actuated Wheel J and terminating in the fly-i'an arbor K. To the second arbor, L, of the motor-gearing, upon the end of the arbor projecting through the rear plate of the movement, is secured a spur-wheel, f, which engages a pinion, g, turning on the stud h, projecting from the rear plate of the movement. To the pinion g is secured a spur-wheel, The pinion g meshes into a spur-wheel, j, secured to the tubular arbor G, which carriesa hand, 7c, corresponding to the hour-hand ofthe time-movement, and the spur-wheel 43 meshes into the pinion Z, secured to the arborH, the said arbor carrying a hand, m, corresponding to the minutehandofthetime-movement. The gearing for imparting motion to the arbors G H" and hands 7.: m, carried thereby, is so proportioned as to cause the hand it. to make twelve revolutions while the hand is making one revolution, the relation of the speeds of the two hands being the same as that of the minute and hour hands of the clock.

The sleeve F carries an hour-hand, 7c, and the tubular arbor E carries a minute-hand,m', and between the hour-hand 7.2 on the sleeve F and the wheel 6, secured to the said sleeve, is loosely placed a spur-wheel, n, of vulcanite or other insulating material.

In an annular groove in the outer face of the wheel n is placed a metallic ring, 0, from which a stud, 1), projects through the wheel and beyond its inner face into contact with the wheel 0. The outer face of the vulcanite wheel a is shown in Fig. 6, and its inner face is shown in Fig. 7. In the face of the wheel 6 and in the path of the stud p is placed an insulat-ing-bar, g, which is held in its place in the face of wheel in the present case by a vul canite ring, 1, formed integrally with the bar and surrounding the periphery of the plain part of the wheel, The spur-wheel n is made to revolve with the hour-hand It on the arbor Gby motion imparted to it from the spurwheel j on the rear end of the arbor, through the wheel s,engaged by the wheel j, the arbor 26, carrying the said wheel, and the spur-wheel u, meshing into the vulcanite ring 12.

In the portion of the movement which con tains the motor-gearing is journaled a rockshaft, 1), in insulatingbearings w in the plates of the movement. The forward end of the rock-shaft 12 carries a metallic arm, M, which reaches down over the outer face of the spurwheel a. To the rock shaft 1;, between the plates of the movement, is secured an arm, a, which extends upward to the flyfan 7) on the arbor K, and which may be moved into and out of the path of the fan. The fiy-pan is provided with insulating-plates c for preventing the passage of the current through the fan.

Behind the movement A is supported an electro-magnet, N, having an armature, O, which is connected by a spring, (1, with'the stand ard e.

To the rear end of the rock-shaft o is secured anarm, f,which is bent twiceatright an glesand extends down to the armature O, the extremity of the right-angled arm being received under the finger g,attached to the armature and extending over the top thereof parallel with its upper surface, so that when the armature O is moved the arm f will also be moved.

To the base I? of the instrument there are secured bindingpostsl 2 8 at. The binding posts 1 2 are connected electrically with the terminals of the electromagnet N by wires h i. One terminal of the electro-magnet is connected with the bindingpost at by the wire j, and the other is connected with the frame of the clock-movement by the wire I. The binding-post 3 is connected with the armaturestandard 0' by the wire 0. The binding-posts 3 4 are connected with the poles of the battery, and the binding-posts 1 2 are connected with the circuitcloser attached to therailroadtrack.

When a train passes over the circuit-closing track-instrument, the magnet N is energized, and its armature O is drawn down, thereby turning the rock-shaft o, swinging the arm a, so as to release the fly 6, allowing the motor movement to revolve, and through its shaft L and the spur-wheels connectedtherewith to impart rotary motion to the arbors G H and hands m, carried thereby, and at the same time to impart motion to the vulcanite spur-wheel n, causing it to carry the stud p around on the face of the wheel e and bringing the free end of the arm M into contact with the metallic ring 0, whereby the circuit is completed through the wire 0', the armature standard 6, armature 0, arm f, rockshaft 1), arm M, metallic ring 0, stud 1), wheel 6, the frame of the clock-movement, "the wire Z, magnet N, and the wirej.

The insulating-bar qin the face of the wheel 6 corresponds in position with the hour-hand k on the sleeve F, and the stud 19, carried by the wheel 01, corresponds in position with the hour-hand k on the tubular arbor G. So long as the electric circuit is maintained by the con tact of the studp with the metallic part of the Wheel 6 the armature will be held down upon the magnet N and the hands 7cm will continue to move forward; but when the stud preaches the insulating-bar q, carried by the wheel 6, the circuit is broken, the armature O is released, and is raised by its spring-support, turuingthe rockshaft o and carrying the arm a into the path of the fiy-fan I), stopping the motor movement, at the same time removing the end of the arm M from the metallic ring 0 in the face of the wheel a. This stoppage of the motor movement will occur only when the hands 7.: m connected therewith coincide in position with the hands 76' m, connected with the time-movement. The hands 7; in will remain in this position while the hands 7a m, connected with the time-movement, continue to revolve at their regular rate.

When the hands of the instrument are observed, the ditference between the time indicated by the time-hands and that indicated by the hands carried by the motor will show the time that has elapsed since the circuit was closed by the passing of a train over the circuit-olosing track-instrument.

The clock is to be provided with a glass dial, so that the position of the hands may be observed at night, when a lamp is placed behind the dial.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a train-timer, the combination, with the time-marking hands of a clock and the movement connected therewith, ofa pair of auxiliary hands arranged on an axis coincident with that of the clock-hands, an auxiliary spring and gearing for driving the two auxiliary hands at different speeds bearing the same relation to each other as the speed of the hour and minute hands of the timemovement, and means for stopping and starting the auxiliary hands, substantially as specified. I

2. In a train-timer, the combination, with a clock-movement and time-indicating hands carried thereby, of an auxiliary pair of hands having independent driving mechanism, and an electromagnetic circuit-controller, and stop mechanism for arresting the motion of the auxiliary handswhen their position coincides with the position of the time-indicating hands, substantially as specified.

3. In a train-timer, the combination, with the clock movement A, provided with the tubular arbor E, carrying the minute-hand m, and the wheel 6 and sleeve F, carrying the hour-hand 7c, of the insulating-bar q, carried IIS by the wheel 0, the insulating-wheel it, provided with the metallic ring 0 and stud p, and mounted loosely on the sleeve F, the rockshai't 12, mounted in insulating-supports, the arm M, carried by'the said rock-shaft and contacting with the face of the wheel at, the arm f, attached' to the rock-shaft v, the electromagnet N, armature 0, connected with the arm f, means for turning the insulating-wheel n, and the electric-circuit connections, substantially as specified.

4. In a train-timer, the combination, with the clock movement A, provided with the tubular arbor E, carrying the minute-hand m,

and the wheel 0 and sleeve F, carrying the hour-hand k, of the tubular arbor G, inserted in the arbor E, the arbor H, contained by the the clock-movement A, provided with the tubular arbor E, carrying the minute-hand m and the wheel 0, and sleeve F, mounted loosely on the arbor E and carrying the hour-hand k, of the tubular arbor G, inserted in the arbor E, the arbor H, contained by the tubular arbor G, the hands k m, carried by the arbors G H, the springaotnated motor I, connected with the arbors G H, the insulating-bar q, carried by the wheel e, the insulating-wheel n, provided with the metallic ring 0 and stud 1), the wheels 8 u, and arbor t, for imparting motion from the arbor G to the wheel at, the insulated rockshaft o, the arm M, carried by the said rock-shaft and bearing on the face of the wheel n, the arm f attached to the shaft '0, the electro-magnet N, the armature 0, connected with the arm f, and the current-connections,'substantially as specified.

GEORGE \V. HOUSEL. Witnesses:

S. R. DALRYMPLE, J. S. TUCKER. 

